The musings, recipes and adventures of a girl that loves to eat

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Pie

I am proud of this pie for three reasons: 1) It was the first time I made what was essentially pudding from scratch and it turned out right!; 2) It was the first time I blind-baked a crust without it sinking down the side of the pie plate!; and 3) It was really good. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it was dangerous. Dangerous because it was sitting in the fridge and whenever I got hungry I’d eat a couple forkfuls, which would inevitably turn into an entire slice.

This pie actually came about at Nate’s behest. Since he’s not a dessert person and he was actually asking me to make a very specific kind of pie, I thought the least I could do was to give it my best shot.

I turned to Epicurious, my most favorite website for blind recipe searches where I have a vague idea of what I want but nothing specific in mind. Once again, Epicurious delivered, this time by way of a Bon Appetit recipe from 1991. I guess pudding pies aren’t fashionable anymore?

The chocolate layer is dense and thick, closer to a ganache than a pudding (although that maybe because I put in extra chocolate chips), while the peanut butter layer is more like a typical pudding. The whipped cream adds a lightness that contrasts well with the heaviness of the chocolate and peanut butter; rather than piping it on I just left it in a bowl so people could spoon it on at their leisure.

I only had one cup of half and half, so I also added a can of evaporated milk and some skim milk. I don’t think it affected the pudding’s flavor or texture. The original recipe also called for peanut butter chips instead of actual peanut butter, which I found vexing. Why use waxy gross pb chips when you have the real thing? I also used a homemade pie crust, although store-bought would definitely be the easier option.